The morning after the magnificent opening ceremony of the European Universities Games Zagreb – Rijeka 2016 we talked with the director of the opening ceremony Krešimir Dolenčić.
Everybody agrees that the opening ceremony of the Games was magnificent. When the rain started did it send chills down your spine? Did you have a fall back plan?
We did not have a fall back plan, we told ourselves – we’ll proceed with the event and what happens, happens. I thank the Croatian Radio – Television, they took a huge risk. Despite the rain, they quickly regrouped. But as I always say -I have never in my life cancelled something because of the rain, and I wasn’t planning to start with this ceremony.
The simulation of the rocket and the projection of the universe associated the participants to cosmic connections between people. Was that your idea?
Well certainly. Our structure can be called a rocket, but also a ziggurat, an Assyrian pyramid; it can be an element from the ancient past. Sort of like the Tower of Babel, but it connects rather than separates. It’s sufficient to look at the last text ‘Everything is a game’ and everything is clear.
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- Igor Kralj/PIXSELL
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- Igor Kralj/PIXSELL
The viewers really liked your idea of various creatures from outer space leading the national teams. How did you come up with that?
As the Games virtually break state, national or any other borders, since the athletes are students from 41 countries and probably more than a hundred nations, I decided to transport everybody from Earth and play with the idea of the universe – inside us!
How much did the motto of the Games ‘Heart believes, mind achieves’ help you in the planning of the opening ceremony?
This is a good motto, and I’m happy that it also applies to our European Games.
Everybody agrees that the presenting duo Šulentić – Ridjan led the program confidently. Who came up with the informative and humorous texts on the participating countries?
Ana Tonković Dolenčić, my wife, writer and playwright. In addition to the private sphere, we have worked together for many years. Ana also wrote the texts for the opening ceremony for the Asian Beach Games in Oman. She has also experience with television.
Was the balloon-Earth homage to the big ball-Earth that you designed for the 1987 Universiade?
Yes, partly. That ball survived good twenty years after 1987, as a sculpture, and behold, she’s back!
You incorporated the dancers and the bell ringers splendidly, but everybody agrees the combination of gongs, drums and the horn set a good rhythm to the entire ceremony.
It is not a horn, but a didgeridoo. The Australian instrument and the exceptional Dubravko Lapajne who played it. Matej Meštrović’s music hit the crux of the theme. Matej is a great musician and he put this together excellently.
Paolo Magelli, the main director of the 1087 Universiade, carried the EUSA flag. Do you think of it as not only a tribute to him, but also to you as well, since you were the first assistant director at the Universiade?
When he agreed to participate, although he had to postpone a trip, I was happy. My assistantship in 1987 was my professional ‘birth’ in a way. Everything started then.
